Acquisitions Department: My Life in France by Julia Child

From the Introduction:

“This is a book about some of the things I have loved most in life: my husband, Paul Child; la belle France; and the many pleasures of cooking and eating. It is also something new for me. Rather than a collection of recipes, I’ve put together a series of linked autobiographical stories, mostly focused on the years 1948 through 1954, when we lived in Paris and Marseille, and also a few of our later adventures in Provence. Those early years in France were among the best of my life. They marked a crucial period of transformation in which I found my true calling, experienced an awakening of the senses, and had such fun that I hardly stopped moving long enough to catch my breath.”


Kind of makes you want to keep reading, doesn’t it?

Years ago when I worked at Doubleday, we published a biography of Julia called Appetite for Life, by Noel Riley Fitch. At the time I was much more focused on losing 100 pounds than I was on eating well (think plain steamed vegetables for dinner several nights a week), but reading about Julia’s life was a cherished distraction. I’ve got that book around here somewhere—perhaps I’ll dig it out and re-read it when I’m done with this one. It’ll be interesting to compare Julia’s own take on things to a third party’s.

My Life in France just arrived, and unfortunately I have to run to work. I know what I’ll be doing all day Saturday, though…